Poets Shari Caplan and Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez both work with themes of the occult and serve as artistic translators, moving between such forms as visual art, performance, and poetry. This reading of their latest works will set the tone for the approaching darkness that follows Mabon /Autumn Equinox.

Shari Caplan (she/her) is a poet, actor, and event producer with a passion for enlivening our collective imaginative potential. She’s the author of Exhibitionist (Lily Poetry Review Books, 2024, Paul Nemser Prize Winner), The Red Shoes; a Phantasmagoric Ballet on Paper, (Lambhouse Books, 2023), and Advice from a Siren (Dancing Girl Press, 2016). A wearer of many top hats, she has produced and performed in “The Poetry Circus,” “The Fairy Tale Poetry Walking Tour,” and other cross-pollinations, including the Boston chapter of The Poetry Brothel, an international immersive cabaret series (founded by The Poetry Society of New York). Shari’s work has appeared in Gulf Coast, Painted Bride Quarterly, Sinister Wisdom, Grimoire, Angime, Drunk Monkeys, and others and has earned her a scholarship to The Home School in Hudson, a fellowship to The Vermont Studio Center, as well as nominations for a Bettering American Poetry Award, a Pushcart Prize, and a Rhylsing Award. She has an MFA from Lesley University, where she also served as an inaugural Alumni Fellow. Find her work, workshops, monthly love letter to creativity, and upcoming events at ShariCaplan.com.

Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez is a Chilean poet and novelist working at the intersections of text, textile, performance, archive, and translation. They are the author of La Pava (Ediciones Inubicalistas) and A/An (End of the Line Press). Their work has been supported by fellowships and residencies from The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets, Lambda Literary, The Center for Book Arts, TAKT Residency in Berlin, The Frost Place, Studios at MASS MoCA, and MacDowell. They teach creative writing at Clark University in Worcester, MA.

Salem Athenaeum participates in Card to Culture.